Blunkett in 'speak English' storm

David Blunkett was forced on the defensive today as race-relations and community groups condemned his advice to immigrant families to speak English at home.

The Home Secretary, in an essay published today, says immigrant parents ought to speak English to their children to prevent "schizophrenic rifts" between the generations. But the criticism, after his comments emerged at the weekend, was fast and furious.

The Commission for Racial Equality called his remarks "unacceptable". Acting head Beverley Bernard said: "It's not for the Government to define who should speak what to whom, where and when."

The editor of the Muslim News, Ahmed Versi, said: "It's especially insulting because I don't think he would say this about French, German and Spanish speakers who have that as their first language. The point of learning their mother tongue at home is that they don't learn it in school and it enables children to speak to their parents and grandparents."

The Home Office today appeared to be backing away, stressing that Mr Blunkett had been examining the issue of integration, not trying to dictate people's private lives. A spokeswoman said Mr Blunkett would "never tell people what to do in their own homes".

The row came alongside Home Office figuressuggesting that attacks on asylum seekers-have reached a new high. The figures show some 2,000 attacks on those dispersed around Britain over the past two years.

The dispersal programme was designed to take the pressure off councils in London and the South-East. But the figures look likely to bring new calls for it to be adjusted, or abandoned.

Mr Blunkett's advice on family life comes in his contribution to a book, Reclaiming Britishness, published by the Foreign Policy Centre think-tank.

The Home Secretary points out that almost one in three British-Asian families speak only their native languages at home. And he argues that learning English, crucial to a fully-integrated society, "enables parents to

converse with their children in English as well as in their historic mothertongue, at home. It helps overcome the schizophrenia which bedevils generational relationships."

Apparently anticipating the row, he warns today that if the Left does not debate such issues "the Right will step into the gap".

But Shahid Malik, a member of Labour's National Executive, said: "David has been targeting the Asian community, saying where they should marry. Now it's what they should speak. Tomorrow it may be what they can eat."